NEW DELHI: Heavy monsoon showers on the first day of the month of September was the highest single-day rainfall in the last 19 years. Officials at the IMD said that Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker, gauged 112.1 mm rainfall in the 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Wednesday, the highest on a day in September in at least 19 years.
Delhi has already recorded 188.6 mm rainfall since 8:30 am on Tuesday, surpassing the normal of 129.8 mm for September. The incessant rainfall affected around 25 trains. “Trains to Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and central and western parts of India were affected,” the Railways said.
Asked if the India Meteorological Department (IMD) expected such heavy rainfall, an official said it is difficult to make “precise predictions” for a small area like Delhi two to three days in advance. “The predictions are for larger areas, such as Haryana and Punjab. This applies across the world,” he said.
Earlier in May, the city had recorded the coldest day experienced in May in the last 70 years after incessant rains due to the impact of Cyclone Tauktae and a western disturbance. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 23.8 degrees Celsius, 16 notches below normal and the lowest in the month of May since 1951.
On an average, the capital gauges 125.1 mm precipitation in September every year, according to the IMD. This means that Delhi recorded 90 per cent of the monthly quota of rain on the first day of the month.
